Latch bolt and keeper safety interlock



Nov. 29, 1960 J. H. ROETHEL LATCH BOLT AND KEEPER SAFETY Filed Jan. 27, 1956 INTERLOCK IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent This invention relates to a safety latch device particular'ly adapted for use on vehicle bodies to prevent door separation from the body pillar in a fore-and-aft direction.

The conventional latch bolt coacting with a striker or keeper device 'is intended only to hold a vehicle door in closed or latched condition against swinging movement about the door hinges. However, such devices frequently fail to keep the vehicle door securely latchedj under abnormal conditions, such as when the vehicle is involved'in a collision or is upset. The modern vehicle body'is only a' relatively rigid'structure. Collision or upset impacts often'cause body deformation and relativemovementbetween the 'vehicle parts and more particu-' larly' betweenthe doors and door framing members. Such body deformation and relative movement between the vehicle door and framing member or body pillar often causes the latch bolt to'be pulled away from the striker or keeper in a direction longitudinally of the vehicle body permitting the vehicle'door-t'o fly open and the vehicle occupants to be thrown from the vehicle even though the latch mechanism itself may actuallyremain in latched:

condition.

It isan object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive improvement in a cooperating latch bolt'and keeper device which will effectively inhibit lateralrnovement, that is, movement in a direction longitudinally of a vehicle body, to a degree sufficient to prevent the latch bolt and keeper device from becoming laterally disengaged. It will be understood that some degree of lateral movement must be permitted to occur since. certain tolerances and clearances must be permitted in the fitting together of the vehicle body components to compensate for manufacturing inaccuracies. The present invention permits normal manufacturing toler-' ances and clearances to be maintained while at the same time making provision for limiting the permissible lateral.

panying drawing forming a part of this specification wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 illustrates the front face of a latch mechanism and shows a latch bolt mounted thereon constructed in accordance with the present invention, the latch bolt being shown in relation to a keeper device. Fig. 1 is a section looking'in the direction of the arrows 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 22 of Fig. l. I v i Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the latch bolt of the present embodiment in several operative positions.

2,962,316 Patented Nov. 29, 1.?60

plied to the doors and frame structures of an automobile body. "The embodiment of the invention as illustrated ifi' Figs. T to 5 comprises a latch bolt device 49 and a:

striker orjkeepe r device, generally designated 34.

-"T'he latch bolt device 49 comprises a lever or finger-like latch element 5 0 havinga substantially figure eight contour; 'Thelatch element 50 is pivotally mounted on the latch plate 13, t pivot axis being substantially at the center of thelower portion Slot" the element. The latch element 50 extends in a generally upwardly direction and means of its pivot stud 1;5 to a ratchet (not shown) adapted to be :engagedlbyi'a spring urged pawl (not shown) which may be disengaged from the ratchet by an outer manually operable fleve'r "means or ran inner manually op erable lever 'rneansf (not shown). The inner mechanism of the latch mechanism formsno part of the present in vention 'and the'foreg'oingi'brie'f description is deemed. sufficient to establish'a ba'ckground for understanding the;

present invention.

When the vehicle door is open the latch element 50 by.

action ofthe latch mechanism spring urged pawl acting against the ratchet willbe maintained in the solid outline position ishowninl-TigI3L. In't'his position the latch element SQis pointing obliquely upwards toward the interior of thevehicle door. the door is swung to a closed position the latch element 50 engages the striker or keeper 42 i l1ndl RWaI$ shaul e o not be mpletely closed, the latch element Sil will assume the intermediate dot and da sh outline position shown in Fig. 3'

or the safety locking position. Although the vehicle door is notcompletely latched, it will be prevented from swinging in an open direction, as will be explained. When the door iscompletelylatchedthe latch element 50 assumes,

the solid outline position shown in Fig. 1. In both the intermediate dot and dash outline position and the solid line position of Fig. 1, the latch element 56 is held against swinging"movernent in an u-nlatching direction by coaction ofthe pawl and ratchet. The latch element 50 may be returned to its open orsolid outline position shown in Fig. 3 only upon disengagement of the pawl from the ratchet by actuation of the outer or inner manually operable release means;

The striker or keeper device 34 has a body or frame member 35 substantially the form of the letter C, the opening being toward the outside of the vehicle. The framemember 35 may be made of any suitable material, such as a plastic or die cast metal. The frame member comprises a'bottom orfoot portion 36, an ascendant or surfac efi-l. l-t will be notedthat the head portion 44 of i i ef nf P1 Parall l. to h rga ace. qt the latch plate 13 The latcli"element "50 is connected the plate 39 is not of a hook form and that the lower surface 45 thereof extends somewhat below the lower surface of the frame member head or hook portion 38.

The plate 39 is secured to the frame member 35 by rivets 46. Both the frame member 35 and the plate 39 are provided with aligned holes adapted to receive bolts 47 for securing the striker or keeper 34 to the vehicle body pillar 48.

It may be noted here that the striker or keeper device body portion may be made of plastic material of high strength, e.g., of plastic of the polyurethane groups. However, it would be feasible to make the striker or keeper body of steel in which case the plate portion 39 might be formed integrally therewith.

The latch bolt device 49 comprises a lever or fingerlike latch element 50 having a substantially figure eight contour, as described above. The lower portion of the latch element St} is provided with a flange 52 extending below the roller 25 journalled on the shaft 15, for a purpose to be explained.

Substantially at the center of the upper half portion 53 of the latch element 50 there is provided a stop or button 54 preferably made of some plastic material of high resistance, such as a plastic of the polyamide or polyurethane groups. The shank 55 of the button 54 may be press fit or riveted in a suitable aperture in the latch element 50.

In operation the present embodiment operates as follows: As the vehicle door is moved from an open to a closed position, the latch element 49 abuts the erect rib 37 of the striker or keeper frame member 35. The latch element is turned upwardly from its oblique position shown in solid outline in Fig. 3 through the intermediate dot and dash outline position or the safety latch position to its final vertical dot and dash outline position. This last position represents the final latched position of the bolt.

In both the safety and the final latched positions the upper end of the upper half portion 53 of the latch element 50 is opposed by the corner 56 of the frame member head portion 38. In the safety latched position the door is loosely held but cannot be opened. In the final latched position, the upper end of the latch element 50 is substantially encompassed by the head portion 38. The lower portion of the latch element is, as shown, supported by the roller 25 riding on the upper surface 43 of the plate 39 foot portion 42.

Lateral disengagement of the latch bolt 49 from the striker or keeper device 34 is effectively prevented by the plate 39. Except for the slight movement that might be permitted to occur because of the clearance between the stop button and the inner surface of the plate 39 head portion, the relationship of the latch device 49 and the plate 39 will resist any force tending to cause the latch device to be laterally disengaged from the striker or keeper 34. Should the button 54 be crushed or should the latch element 50 twist under impact, the flange 52 at the lower end thereof would abut the inner surface of the foot portion 42 of the plate 39. Thus, the latch element 50 is eifectively opposed against lateral disengagement at both its top and bottom.

I claim:

1. In combination, a latch device mounted on the vertical free edge wall of a swinging door, said latch device comprising a latch element having a substantially figure eight contour, pivot means supporting said latch element for swinging movement from a door unlatched position to a door latched position, the pivot axis being substantially at the center of the lower portion of said latch element, roller means carried by said pivot means, and a keeper device mounted on a vertical face of a body pillar to which said free edge wall is latchable, said keeper device comprising a generally C-shaped frame member having a foot portion, a head portion and a rib portion connecting said foot and head portions, a generally C-shaped plate member secured to said frame member on the side thereof toward the free edge wall of the door, said plate member having a first part thereof projecting above said frame member foot portion and a second part thereof projecting below said head portion, said first part supporting said latch device through said roller means when said frame member head portion engages the free end of said latch element to retain the swinging door in latched position, said second part being effective to prevent disengagement of the latch device from the keeper device in a direction laterally of the direction in which the latch device is moved for normal engagement and disengagement with the keeper device.

2. In combination, a latch device mounted on the vertical free edge wall of a swinging door, said latch device comprising a latch element having a substantially figure eight contour, pivot means supporting said latch element for swinging movement from a door unlatched position to a door latched position, the pivot axis being substantially at the center of the lower portion of said latch element, roller means carried by said pivot means, said lower portion having a flange extending below the periphery of said roller means, and a keeper device mounted on a vertical face of a body pillar to which said free edge wall is latchable, said keeper device comprising a generally C-shaped frame member having a foot portion, a head portion and a rib portion connecting said foot and head portions, a generally C-shaped plate member secured to said frame member on the side thereof toward the free edge wall of the door, said plate member having a first part thereof projecting above said frame member foot portion and a second part thereof projecting below said head portion, said first part supporting said latch device through said roller means when said frame member head portion engages the free end of said latch element to retain the swinging door in latched position, said first and second parts being effective to prevent disengagement of the latch device from the keeper device in a direction laterally of the direction in which the latch device is moved for normal engagement and disengagement with the keeper device.

3. In combination, a latch device mounted on the vertical free edge wall of a swinging door, said latch device comprising a latch element having a substantially figure eight contour, pivot means supporting said latch element for swinging movement from a door unlatched to a door latched position, the pivot axis being substantially at the center of the lower portion of said latch element, roller means carried by said pivot means, and a keeper device mounted on a vertical face of a body pillar to which said free edge wall is latchable, said keeper device comprising a generally C-shaped frame member having a foot portion, a head portion and a rib portion connecting said foot and head portions, said keeper device having a first part thereof projecting above said frame member foot portion and a second part thereof projecting below said head portion, said first part supporting said latch device through said roller means when said frame member head portion engages the free end of said latch device to retain the swinging door in latched position, said second part being eifective to prevent disengagement of the latch device from the keeper device in a direction laterally of the direction in which the latch device is moved for normal engagement and disengagement with the keeper device.

4. In combination, a latch device mounted on the vertical free edge wall of a swinging door, said latch device comprising a latch element having a substantially figure eight contour, pivot means supporting said latch element for swinging movement from a door unlatched to a door latched position, the pivot axis being substantially at the center of the lower portion of said latch element, roller means carried by said pivot means, and a keeper device mounted on a vertical face of a body pillar to which said free edge wall is latchable, said keeper device comprising a generally c-shaped frame member having a foot portion, a head portion and a rib portion connecting said foot and head portions, said keeper device having a first part thereof projecting above said frame member foot portion and a second part thereof projecting below said head portion, said first part supporting said latch device through said roller means when said frame member head portion engages the free end of said latch device to retain the swinging door in latched position, said first and second parts being effective to prevent disengagement of the latch device from the keeper device in a direction laterally of the direction in which the latch device is moved for normal engagement and disengagement with the keeper device.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,246,786 Dall June 24, 1941 2,674,483 De Vito Apr. 6, 1954 2,929,652 Martens et a1 Mar. 22, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 393,355 Great Britain June 8, 1933 732,190 Great Britain June 22, 1955 OTHER REFERENCES Popular Science Magazine, Oct., 1955, page 100; 

